Warren Men’s Golf Championship co-chairman and founder John Zawacki, second from left, is congratulated by Michael Neal, chief of organizational advancement with the American Cancer Society, at the tournament banquet Wednesday night at Conewango Valley Country Club. Also pictured are co-chairman and director of event relations John Papalia, far left, and PGA professional Chip Beck. Photo by Gary Lester

Waiting for dinner to arrive at Conewango Valley Country Club on Wednesday night, I overheard a couple of men across the table having a conversation about guest speaker Chip Beck, who was seated at the dais in the front of the room following the completion of the 45th annual Warren Men’s Golf Championship.

The owner of four PGA Tour victories and 20 runner-up finishes, including the U.S. Open (twice) and the Masters (once), Beck was an accomplished member of the PGA Tour for years.

The questions my dinner companions had centered on who finished ahead of Beck in those majors. So I pulled out my phone in search of answers. This is what I discovered: Beck finished tied for second in both the 1986 and 1989 U.S. Open (Raymond Floyd and Curtis Strange were the winners, respectively) and was No. 2 all alone to Bernhard Langer in the 1993 Masters.

Pretty good company, huh?

Oh, and by the way, Beck once shot a 59 that included 13 birdies, and recorded a double-eagle on a 315-yard par 4 (yes, a hole-in-one) in another tournament. In other words, the former three-time All-American at the University of Georgia, had a splendid golf game. He just happened to play in an era of all-time greats, which meant he often flew under the radar.

The same could be said for the golf tournament that has been held at CVCC since 1978, which, ironically, is the same year that Beck joined the PGA Tour. Under the passionate, yet understated, leadership of founder and co-chairman John Zawacki and a host of like-minded folks committed to raising money for the American Cancer Society, the tournament has been a staple in Warren County every summer since.

But there won’t be another one.

Zawacki and co-chairman and director of event relations John Papalia determined — after an in-depth analysis earlier this year — that the 2022 event would be it.

It’s been quite a ride.

In its inaugural year, the outlay to the ACS was $300. At the banquet Wednesday night, Zawacki announced that the total raised in the last four-plus decades has reached $1.6 million.

That’s significant, very significant.

“Our shared success has been recognized by the American Cancer Society as its second-oldest golf venue in the country and its leading per-capita fundraiser,” the tournament committee wrote in a thank you to sponsors and participants on the back of the banquet program. “Your donations continue to fund both patient service and educational programs to hundreds of Warren County residents who are facing cancer in their lives and who may need assistance in locating additional resources to support their families’ efforts on their behalf.”

Coincidentally, this year’s tournament was held on the 97th birthday of Pro Football Hall-of-Famer Marv Levy, the former head coach of the Buffalo Bills. Many times in the years that I covered the team during the Levy era, he would uncork the following quote:

“It’s better to retire a year too early than a year too late.”

Zawacki, Papalia and company have recognized that, too.

And for that, they should be applauded for sending the event “out with a bang.”